Amazing beaches in Phu Quoc (P1)

The nature of Phu Quoc offers the island multiple beautiful beaches in the area. All of them are unique in their own way, but in a short trip, you cannot hope to experience all of them. Here are some of the more popular beaches in Phu Quoc so you can decide where to go for your convenience.

Bai Truong / Long Beach

Bai Truong @ Panoramio

The vast bulk of Phu Quoc’s hotels (and the vast bulk of construction sites) is on Bai Truong, also known as Long Beach, a 20-plus kilometers stretch of yellow sand that runs down the central west coast of the island.Inwetseasonthe seas here are rough and not great for swimming, but in the dry season, it’s a placid pool with gentle waves. It’s the liveliest beach on the island, the entire length offering accommodation and spots to play, lazy and eat seafood with your feet in the sand. It’s the type of place where you can get a massage on the beach and women sell you fresh fruit, cutting a whole pineapple to order.

The northern part of the beach closest to Duong Dong town is the busiest. The further south you go, the more breathing room you get. It’s all easily accessed. Phu Quoc is a very laid back place and we had no problems walking through any of the resorts, be it cheap or high end, to get to the beach. A popular route from Tran Hung Dao is through Lane 118, a busy way lined with guesthouses and restaurants which deposit you close to La Veranda Resort and Rory’s Bar.

Northwest loop

Bai Ong Lang @ Youtube

Starting from Duong Dong town, head up the west coast on nicely paved Cua Can road seven kilometers to reach the quiet sweeping bay of Bai Ong Lang (Ong Lang Beach). There are a couple of magnificent nature-focused resorts (we highly recommend Mango Bay Resort for a sundowner). Ong Lang is quiet, relaxed and a pleasant spot to park your bum, and there are several dining options available. The access road is hard to miss; look for the corner with dozens of hotel signs pointing the way.

Bai Vung Bau (Vung Bau Beach) is the next one up from Ong Lang. It’s a small cove with only a few properties and it’s a low-key beach ideal for those who want peace. Look for the signs for Bamboo Cottages and Wild Beach Resort and turn left, following the dirt road for two kilometers. When we ventured there in December 2015, it looked like the road was being graded, which may be a sign it will be paved at some point. Resorts are pretty relaxed and since only a handful of day-trippers make it here, it should be okay to park the bike and walk through the hotel to the water. From the beach, you can see Fingernail Island off the coast, which has a good reef for snorkeling.

Bai Dai Beach

Bai Dai Beach @ ahomevietnam

With warm blue-green waters and a generous stretch of fine yellow sand, Bai Dai Beachis one of the prettiest beaches on the island, but unfortunately one of Vietnam’s most influential billionaire conglomerates has noticed. Bai Dai is now dominated by behemoth 750-key Vinpearl Resort along with Vinpearl Land amusement and water park, aquarium, golf course… One Phu Quoc resident told us that Vinpearl Land had brought in Penguins last year (they didn’t survive). We can only raise an eyebrow and wonder where and how they got a Bengal tiger, rhino, and lions for the newly opened safari park, which has a front gate reminiscent of the one in Jurassic Park and claims to have 200 rare animals. There’s a rumor that the resort has plans to build a bridge so guests can visit nearby Turtle Island, and that doesn’t bode well for its excellent coral reef.

One way to easily access Bai Dai is to fork over the 500,000 dong admission to Vinpearl Land. The only other obvious way to reach the beach is by continuing on the dirt road from Vung Bau beach up along the coast. The road is quite challenging, a hilly mix of dirt, loose gravel, rocks and sand. We tried to get to the beach via another dirt road north of the golf course but were stopped by a security guard.

To be continued…

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